Acidine Guard
Purpose The Acidine Guard was founded by The Magistrate to act as a police force on the streets of Tot, where many broadwing gryphons are simply too large to be of use. They work daily with their gryphon brethren in the sky to keep the peace in Tot. Beyond the bounds of Tot, however, the Acidine Guard has a greater goal: to guard not only the citizens of the city, but the technologies they once possessed. All work done by the Guard is done in the interest of improvement, and the betterment of life on Tier. The Guard The main face of the Acidine Guard is the Acidian: the heavily armored officer of the guard who patrols the streets of Tot. Six days out of the week, Acidians act as law enforcement in the city. They are heavily armed and travel with a less than cuddly pet; should they find anything amiss in the streets, it's not such a hard task to set things straight again. Not that they usually have to. The sight of a man or beast in armor as thick as your fist, riding by on a giant scorpion, is generally enough to quiet things down. An Acidian's armor is a thick, full-body suit, called a stormsuit. The stormsuit's face is shielded in heavy glass, and accented by a gas mask with tubes that fall down the chest, wrap around the body, and connect to a pack on the back. An Acidian stormsuit can withstand toxic gases and acidic rain with no damage to the pilot. Why the heavy machinery, you ask? The Acidian's stormuit is actually quite necessary, at least one day out of every week. Though average citizens rarely notice the loss, a group of Acidians tumbles (aka, flies down to the surface of Tier) every day. (Each Acidian only tumbles one day out of each week, and they rotate days amongst themselves so that there is always a police force present in Tot.) Acidians travel with horse-sized scorpions called vexids. Though the vexid is seen on Tot as a sort of boogeyman companion for Acidians, to Acidians themselves their vexid represents the difference between life and death. The vexid is a skilled fighter, and with help from shouted commands from the Acidian, a vexid is of more use against the bugs on the surface, many of whom have armor too thick to be pierced by average guns. Besides their flare for fighting, an Acidian's vexid serves as safe transportation through portions of the surface which are decaying under the acid, and would sink under the Acidian's heavy boot. Spreading the weight over the surface area of the vexid's eight legs provides a more steady footing, as well as faster travel. While on the surface, the Acidian plays many roles: they take part in the construction of a new colony for a time when the ground is once again safe to live on... they act as a protective unit to the scientists who are attempting to reverse the effects of the acid and revitalize the soil... But these are merely trifles. Though the project is kept largely under wraps by The Authority, the Acidian's main goal on the surface is to locate and retrieve items of lost technology from the heart of the Tier Industrial Revolution. These pieces of technology, long abandoned and forgotten, are thought to contain the solution to improved life for all of the overpopulated and underfed cities of Tier. The Acidian, a figure of public stature and great mystery, is revered by many citizens of Tot. Few know what it is that they do, or where it is that they come from; the title of Acidian is shrouded with intrigue. Tech Priests Though few realize this truth - because the operation is kept almost entirely off the radar by The Authority - the Acidians are not the only acting force within the Acidine Guard. In fact, their jobs would be absolutely pointless if not for a key figure: the tech priests. Tech priests are revered as something more than man, because the presence they give off is... almost spiritual. Though many people don't know their purpose, it is recognized that tech priests are somehow distinct from other screws. Physically, a tech priest can be any sort of creature who was once flesh and bone, but who has been so completely and vitally enhanced by mechanical parts and functions that they are no longer recognizable as whatever creature they once were. Tech priests, over the life of their work, enhance themselves and reshape themselves as they see fit, taking on parts and pieces that no longer resemble anything that might exist on human, plant, or animal. These enhancements are in no way cosmetic, but rather, have such a strong attachment to the tech priest at his core that without them, he could no longer function. The tech priest's role in the Acidine Guard is key: they are the ones who interpret and reproduce the forgotten technologies found by Acidians. Structure At the head of all Acidine Guard operations lies The Magistrate, the founders and monetary backers of the Guard. The Acidians operate in units much like the gryphons' wings. At the head of each unit is a Commander. Beneath the Commander are two to three lieutenants, and up to twenty officers. Tech priests have no discernible hierarchy; they work more or less as a unit on large projects, and independently on smaller ones, working out amongst themselves who does what as they go. To watch them in this process is otherworldly: the lack of quarreling between the tech priests is almost inhuman. Training There is a lot of mystery surrounding the process of how an Acidian comes to be an Acidian. It is thought that they are simply born that way, but this isn't entirely true. Gifted children are picked out at an early age by the Magistrate and gifted to the Acidian Academy, where they grow up in the presence of other children aspiring to become Acidians. They are taught to fight, to use firearms, to work as a team with a vexid, and to recognize important technology. Aspiring Acidians tend to be quite brilliant when it comes to knowledge of technologies: many of the brightest students rival the scientists of our time. Students who do not display promise as an Acidian are not punished; it's all quite civil. Instead, they are sent back to their parents, with a promise to have their tongues cut out if word travels that they've been sharing Acidian secrets. As for tech priests, it is unknown how they come to be as they are. Tech priests don't tend to be a very chatty pack, you see. It is assumed that they were once average screws, who simply took it a step or two too far.